Anticorrosion Performance of 8YSZ Ceramics in Simulated Aqueous Environment of Pressurized Water Reactor
8％(molar fraction)Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2(8YSZ)ceramics have important applications in fuel cells,thermal barrier coatings,as well as thermal insulation due to their excellent oxygen ionic conductivity and low thermal conductivity.However,their corrosion resistance to water and their behaviors as thermal insulation or structural material in pressurized water reactors during accidents are not fully understood.This study systematically examined the mass,crystal phase,microstructure,mechanical properties,and solution composition of 8YSZ ceramics over time in a dynamic water environment at 350 ℃/17.4 MPa with 0.3 μg/L dissolved oxygen,aiming to simulate a pressurized water reactor environment.It is found that the mass of 8YSZ ceramics increases firstly and then decreases with corrosion duration time.The mass change is influenced by the surface roughness.The weight gain is attributed to the formation of Zr-OH and Y-OH clusters by the entry of water molecules into the ceramics,whereas the weight loss is caused by the metal cations leaching and the dissolution of grains.Phase analysis demonstrates that the cubic 8YSZ after corrosion does not undergo any phase transformation towards tetragonal or monoclinic phases,which is different from the degradation mechanism of tetragonal or partially stabilized zirconia.Changes in surface and cross-section morphology indicate that water molecules enter the interior of the ceramics along defects or microcracks,producing grain boundary damage and changing the fracture mode in the corrosion-affected region from transgranular to intergranular fracture.Compressive and flexural strengths of this ceramics after corrosion do not change significantly,while the Vicker's hardness decreases slightly,which are related to the formation of pits in the surface layer.As a consequence,depth of the corrosion pit after 1050 h is only 30.8 μm,and the mass change rate of per unit surface area is-0.108×10-3 mg·cm-2·h-1,consolidating excellent water corrosion resistance of 8YSZ ceramic.Therefore,8YSZ ceramics are promising for thermal insulation or structural materials in pressurized water reactors.
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